EARLY RELEASE: State Law Governs Parole

SENTENCES NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE WHEN GIVEN IN COURT

Drug dealer Vernell Conley was a frequent flyer until he was sentenced to 97 years at the Arkansas Department of Correction.

AT A GLANCE

What Is The Difference Between Probation And Parole?

Probation is an act of the court, not of the Parole Board. Probation instead of imprisonment may be ordered by a court for all or part of a person's sentence. Parole may be granted only by the Parole Board after a person has served part of their sentence in prison.

Source: Arkansas Department of Community Correction

BY THE NUMBERS

People On Parole

There some 53,000 people under state supervision in Arkansas, either on probation or parole. Around 20,000 of those are parolees who would otherwise have to be housed in the prison system were it not for the parole system.

About 6,500 inmates are paroled each year.

In Benton, Madison and Washington Counties there were 6,552 people on probation or parole as of Sept. 1. Sharp said about 1,900 of those are parolees.

In fiscal 2008-09, the latest information available, 11,300 hearings and screenings were conducted by the Parole Board. There were 5,092 hearings and 6,208 screenings. Of that number, 53 percent were approved releases with no programs, 9 percent were approved releases contingent upon additional programs, 11 percent were deferred decisions, 5 percent were denied or not recommended for release, and 22 percent fell under "other" board actions.

The Parole Board has 22 employees, including board members and staff. They are assisted by 40 employees of the Department of Community Correction Institutional Release Services, who compile files and prepare paperwork, and 25 Institutional Release Officers who are based at various institutions within the prison system and initiate the parole review process. There are about 350 parole officers in various counties.